Solangelo - Broken Wings
by viiviian
Summary: The battle against Gaia has just been won. Nico has finally moved on from his crush on Percy, and feels a strong attraction towards the archer from the Apollo cabin, Will Solace. Will feels likewise towards the son of Hades, but where will the two end up? This fanfiction explores the Solangelo relationship, but may not totally line up with what's said in the books.
1. Chapter 1

"Kayla! He's beginning to wake up, but his body is still in a very bad condition. Can you get someone from the Morpheus house? Try and be quick, please." Will shouted above the chaotic noise that was the infirmary, two days after the battle against the Romans that had resulted in ten dead and nearly three dozen wounded, though the wounds ranged from bloody noses to dismembered limbs.

It was hard with some of Apollo's own cabin laid out on the cots too. Will was shorthanded, but as the cabin leader, he had to make do without complaints. Kayla was one of the best healers, but when she wasn't assisting Will she was sitting next to Austin's bed, doing everything she could for their comatose cabin mate.

Why wouldn't Austin wake up? The small, skinny, black-haired boy Will was attending to certainly didn't have that problem. Nico kept waking up, but Will put him in a near-constant very deep sleep so he wouldn't feel the pain his body was suffering through. Nico was in a very bad state. After he'd almost singlehandedly saved the day, he'd collapsed, his body utterly worn out. He had a bad fever, and his body was drained. In the beginning, there had been quite a big chance he wouldn't have made it. But above all, Nico was a survivor. Will smiled down at his patient. Nico gave him many mixed emotions, but right now Will felt the overwhelming urge to _protect_ him. It was silly, because Nico was more than capable of defending himself, but when he looked down at the young hero sleeping innocently on the bed, he wanted to be sure he was safe. Though Nico looked small and delicate, he didn't look weak. He looked peaceful, finally drifting back off into into his well-earned sleep. Will had never seen Nico like this, calm and sleeping without a care in the world, and he wanted to treasure it. Plus, Nico looked _very_ cute with bedhead, snuggling under the cozy blanket from Will's own bed.

* * *

Nico's dreams have always had wings. When he was younger, and when he spent his days playfully chasing Bianca around their small apartment they shared with their mother, he had always dreamed of flying. In his sleep, he was given long, magnificent, shimmering wings of pure starlight. He would soar through the skies, carefree and happy, in love with the world and everything it held. But when Bianca died, his wings did too. Nightmares plagued him, convincing him he could have saved her. He tried. Endlessly, he tried to lift her up and away, to safety and togetherness. But the soft feathers were gone from his wings, ripped out when the only source of light in his life was ripped away from him too. Nico's wings would never fly again, no matter how many times he had tried to fix the broken feathers. No matter how many times his dreams revisited his mother, he'd try to no avail to fly away from Zeus and Hades and lightning and unhappiness and death. But he couldn't. His wings were broken. He was broken. He couldn't save them. He couldn't save anyone. And he learned that it was a cruel, unforgiving world that he had once delighted in. Nico would never soar again.

* * *

Will watched as Nico's sleep turned restless. He thrashed and muttered.

"Bianca. Come with me. Mama! No!" Suddenly he stopped writhing. "Couldn't save… them. I can't… save anyone."

Will's heart burst for the boy who had suffered so much pain and heartbreak at only fifteen years old, the same age as Will. "Hey, Death Boy," he whispered, putting his hand over Nico's. It was deathly cold. "You saved me. You saved all of us. Camp Half-Blood wouldn't be here without you." Nico's eyelids stirred.

"Will?" he mumbled.

"Hey, yeah, it's me. Don't move, you're still very weak. You must be in a lot of pain – I had wanted you to sleep it off so it wouldn't hurt as much." Will cracked a grin. "Should've known though, you seem to live to defy, don't you, di Angelo?" Nico opened his mouth to protest, but at that moment Kayla marched in, dragging Clovis behind her. Was he snoring?

"Clovis!" Will called. "We need you."

"Can you need me… later… zzzz…" the boy mumbled.

"CLOVIS!" Will shouted.

Clovis jumped up with a start. "Yes, me, I'm here. Sorry, what was it you… needed me for?"

Nico let out a faint chuckle. He looked even paler than usual, and he was grimacing as if he could now feel what was probably very intense pain. "Clovis, could you put Nico here to sleep for a couple hours?" Will asked patiently. "Sure thing," the sleepy Clovis responded, and with a touch to Nico's forehead, both were fast asleep.

* * *

When he was sure Nico was no longer awake, Will took his heartbeat. Faint but steady. Good. Unzipping Nico's jacket and putting it on the foot of the bed, he reached for the IV machine nearby and put on a pair of gloves. Will delicately took Nico's right arm and turned it over, ready to prep it for the needle, but he wasn't prepared for what he saw. His eyes teared up as he realized what he was seeing: nine clearly self-inflicted straight horizontal scars on his pale forearm. The one at the top looked the most recent, still a bit red and angry.

 _Oh, Nico._ Will felt deep shame for uncovering his secret, but couldn't help gingerly holding up the other arm. There were scars there too, but more jagged and crooked, with some overlapping each other.

The protective desire to heal surged within Will.

 _I swear to the Gods, I will make sure this boy is happy. Gods know he deserves it._

Will looked around the crowded infirmary to see if anyone else had noticed what he saw. The white and red tent set up behind the amphitheater was jam packed, with comfortable white cots set up in neat rows holding patients. There were a few chair scattered around, but for the most part friends and family stood by their loved ones' sides, blocking the way for the healers of the Apollo cabin and the assisting nymphs and satyrs, and just generally getting in the way. But Will understood their panic and worry. Nobody was paying attention to him and Nico, which he was glad for. Finishing up with the IV in Nico's arm, Will reluctantly left to move on to the next patient.

Will completed his rounds as the stars began to emerge, sparkling in the almost black sky. He would never get bored of the night's view from Camp Half-Blood, he decided. With a start, he realized his mind had wandered to Nico again, and all of a sudden he wanted the son of Hades with him more than anything right now, sharing the sky, just Nico and Will and the beautiful stars. What was wrong with him? WHY couldn't he stop thinking of that blasted demigod? He hardly even knew anything about the mysterious Nico di Angelo. Well, it would be a challenge, but he knew that could change.

He creeped back into the tent and dragged a stool toward Nico. He sat there silently for a bit, in the still silence of the sleeping patients, and before he knew it he'd nodded off to sleep.

* * *

END CHAPTER ONE


	2. Chapter 2

Nico awoke groggily, his first instinct being to tuck the soft blanket over his head, curl up under it, and never come out. His second instinct being the question of _where am I?_ Not the Hades cabin, certainly. His memory gradually began to return, and he quickly sat up. That was a mistake. The rush of blood from his head made him feel dizzy and disoriented, and it took a few moments for the spots in his vision to fade. When he could finally see clearly, he was surprised to see the golden-haired son of Apollo hunched over on a stool next to his bed, snoring quite loudly. Nico looked around. Yep, he was still in the infirmary. He noticed a square of ambrosia sitting on the table next to his bed, and hungrily devoured it. As he felt strength pouring into his limbs, he began to stretch the sleepiness away, accidentally clobbering Will's head in the process.

"Huh? What?" Will jumped up and looked around the room before his gaze settled on Nico, staring up at him with a guilty expression on his face.

"Oops. Um. Sorry." Nico awkwardly apologized.

"Oh. Don't worry about it!" Will's face stretched into a smile. "I'm glad to see you're awake. Most of the healing's done, but how do you feel?"

"Good. Normal." Nico felt really awkward. He couldn't quite speak properly when Will was looking at him like that, all perfect white teeth and gorgeous blue eyes. "I suppose I should say thank you. You saved my life, after all."

"Oh, it's nothing," Will said cheerfully. "Do you remember the battle? Because you saved the day, Nico, you really did. You saved all of us!"

Nico's mind was still a little foggy. "I did?"

"Yeah, you're a total hero now! You had some visitors from the Aphrodite cabin a few days ago, a few girls came and couldn't stop giggling and blushing." Will's voice sounded a little odd, but Nico just couldn't place it.

"Um, wow. Thank you, it couldn't've been done without you, you know."

Will smiled. "Okay, well I'd better go check on the critical patients. Nice seeing you, I'm glad you're feeling better! You'll just have to stay a day or two so I can run a check-up on you, and see how your body's recovered."

 _You're leaving? So soon?_ Nico wanted to say, but instead he muttered a goodbye and watched Will's blond curly hair bouncing with each step as he walked away. Man, Will was _hot_. Nico blushed a little thinking of his muscular frame, and those beautiful eyes of colors he couldn't quite place. Uh oh. Was he developing a crush?

Nico sighed. He knew it would never happen. When he was still fairly new to camp, he'd seen the blond Apollo guy at the archery range, making bullseye after bullseye, but he also recalled a beautiful brunette with him. They'd been holding hands, and Nico had seen the archer dude leaning in for a kiss before Nico was being rushed to his next class. He remembered the unusual hue of that archer's eyes, and now he knew that it was Will, and he was probably still into girls, not guys. _Ugh! Why do all the cute ones have to be straight?_

* * *

The next morning, after finally getting around to fixing Miranda's bloody nose, and after he'd healed up the cuts and scrapes Connor and Travis had suffered, Will made his way back to the wing Nico was in. He smiled before entering, remembering Nico's flushed cheeks and flustered sentences from yesterday. He was so adorably awkward! "Okay Death Boy, time for your doctor's appointment."

Nico groaned and pushed his head into his pillow. "Don't… wanna… get up…" he moaned.

Will's smile returned. Not knowing what possessed him, he grabbed Nico by his right arm and proceeded to drag Nico, who was sleepily groaning and complaining, off of the bed. It wasn't until Nico winced that Will remembered the cut on his arm, and his happiness faded a bit when he thought of how Nico was constantly suffering. He also recalled his promise to make sure Nico was happy.

When the son of Hades was fully on the floor, still tangled in blankets with mock outrage in his eyes, a triumphant Will offered a hand and helped him up. "There! Now you're up!"

Nico glared at Will until he couldn't help it anymore, and Will saw a small smile tug at his cheeks until it was replaced with an appearance of grumpiness. Will grinned at the grumpy Nico and led him to the doctor's room.

After taking basic measurements like height and weight, Will asked Nico a few required questions. "Please describe any pain you feel, and rate it on a scale of one to ten."

"Actually, I am feeling a bit of pain. Right here." He pointed to his heart. "See, it pains me that you have to ask these idiotic questions, as I've already told you several times I'm fine. I would rate this pain a seven just for spite."

Will paused in his notebook scribbling to let out a chuckle. "Fine, fine. Would you rather move on? Here is a cup, the bathroom's over there, please urinate in this." He grinned evilly.

Nico groaned again and rolled his eyes. "I take it back, I'd rather answer questions, even if they are dumb."

"No take-backs!" Will laughed.

Nico scowled at him, grabbed the cup, and stalked off to the bathroom.

* * *

When Will announced that Nico's pee was perfectly healthy and that it was time to take his blood pressure, Nico hesitated.

"Can I go grab my jacket? It's feeling a little cold in here."

Will noticed that it was quite sunny outside, but had a guess as to why Nico wanted to wear his jacket.

"Okay, but you'll have to push up the sleeves for the strap to go around your forearm."

Nico looked uncomfortable, and he dashed away. Will wondered if trying to talk to Nico about them would make things worse. It probably would. But Will, with his healer's sense, knew that it always helped people to talk about the things they were keeping bottled up inside.

When the boy returned with his black leather jacket and sat himself in the patient's chair, Will carefully pushed up the sleeve. He could feel Nico's stare burning into the top of his head. _What should I do? How would he react to me mentioning his scars? I could try to help him but that might ruin my chances with him. Do I even have any chance with him? Since when have I wanted a chance with him? He's probably not even interested in me, all he does is glare. Is he gay? Or not? Does he think I'm straight? He doesn't know I'm pansexual. Should I tell him? This isn't the right time. Will there ever be? What if he leaves the infirmary and we don't talk again? Oh Gods what do I do, WHAT DO I DO._

Taking a deep breath, Will blurted out without thinking. "Nico, I saw your scars from cutting, I already know, you don't need to hide them."

Nico jerked his hand back and Will saw his face had gone paler than usual.

"Don't worry, Nico, of course I won't tell anyone, and I'm so sorry. It's usually better to talk about things instead of keeping it bottled up inside, trust me, it really does help, please know I'll always—"

"I don't need help." Nico's reply was terse and angry. "I'm over it, it was just a stupid thing I did a long time ago."

Will thought about pointing out the almost recent one, but almost immediately decided against it. "Nico, I'm sorry, I was just—"

"No. I'm fine. Don't." The son of Hades had never looked so cold. Will saw a mix of anger, embarrassment, and shame hiding behind the depths of his murky brown eyes.

"I'm OVER it." Nico repeated loudly as he stood and stiffly turned his back on Will.

"Nico, it's okay!"

The door slammed with such force, a gust of wind blew coldly into Will's face.

"NICO!"

There was no response. Will stood there frozen, wondering how it was possible to mess up so badly.

* * *

END CHAPTER TWO


	3. Chapter 3

It had been one week since Nico slammed the door in Will's face after he revealed he knew about the scars. It had been an overreaction, he knew, but the explosion of anger that had followed his scars being acknowledged by the one person he felt he could just be himself with had been so powerful, he couldn't control it. Nico had been trying to work on his anger management, but it clearly had just blown up in his face. He just didn't want Will looking at him like that. Like everyone who knew about them did. He didn't want Will's pity or his sympathy. He was _fine_. Normal. Why couldn't he just be treated like that? No, he had to receive sad looks and had people feeling _sorry_ for him. _But there was nothing wrong with him._ He didn't want anyone trying to "help" him. The last time someone did, the therapist they'd hired regretted ever signing up for the job, Nico made sure of that. He couldn't bear Will treating him any differently than he had before, just because of something stupid he did in his past whenever something hurt. He was _over it._ He was _fine. He was not broken._

* * *

Will flopped on his bed. It had been a long day at the infirmary, and even harder without Nico to check up on every once in a while. A week later and Will still hadn't stopped thinking about him, and about how everything that had happened was entirely his fault. He could have handled the situation better. He could have _just kept his fricking mouth shut_. But no. He had to go and mess up his friendship with the person who made him the happiest. This is what kept him awake every night, pondering what he could have done and what could have been.

He'd known that he was pansexual for a long time, and had come to terms with it and accepted himself for who he was. Some of his family may not have, but that didn't matter. He'd had a girlfriend in the past, and loved her, but she dumped him for someone from the Hephaestus cabin. And after finally getting over her, Will had just begun imagining being happy with Nico when he had most likely just closed his friend out forever. And Will couldn't stand it. He just couldn't let that be the end.

* * *

Nico was sitting on his bed in the Hades cabin. He liked the solitude of being the only one in the cabin, but it did get lonely sometimes.

Like right now.

Nico knew what the problem was. He missed Will. He ached for his friend, for his constant cheerfulness and exuberant grin, for his way of putting butterflies in Nico's stomach every time he stared at Will for too long. Nico had had a lot of time to reflect, and he'd decided Will wasn't really in the wrong. Like a true friend, he was trying to try to help. Nico had been given time, and with that time his anger had faded. He knew he should probably apologize for his outburst, but he didn't want to, because Nico was ashamed of himself for how he'd treated his friend.

And all of a sudden, there was a knock at the door. After freezing for a few seconds, Nico jumped up and leaped towards the door, turning the skull-shaped door handle without even checking who it was first because _of course_ it was Will.

"Um, hey," Will stumbled across the words awkwardly.

"Hi." Gods above, why was Nico cursed with such awkwardness? Here right in front of him was the boy he'd been wanting to see for days, and all he could say was _hi_.

Will's chiseled face turned slightly red, and Nico opened his mouth to begin his apology at the same time Will began speaking really quickly. "So. Um. I'm not really good at this, I've, uhh, never really had to say something like this before. Erm." He paused for a bit, and Nico realized his mouth was still open. He quickly closed it.

The boy with golden hair who stood before him took a deep breath and straightened his posture. "I'm really sorry and I know I messed up big time and I shouldn't have said what I said and I was being really ignorant and stupid and I get that now and I'd also get if you never wanted to see me again because I proved to be a terrible friend who didn't think about how much my words could affect you and Gods, I miss you and but I understand if this is goodbye, I wanted to at least end on a good note because being around you makes me happy and I just want you to be happy too so there's that. But yeah and um, yeah. I'm sorry. Gods, that sounded awkward. I'm sorry, I really did have this planned out and it was going to flow beautifully but– " Will stopped, looking at Nico.

Nico stood frozen. He didn't know what he expected, but it was certainly not _that_. At Nico's silence, Will's cheeks flushed even brighter and he turned to leave.

In a flash, Nico's arm was out and he turned Will around so they were facing each other, gripping his arm.

"Thank you." He said sincerely. Will nodded and tried to turn away again, but Nico began talking and couldn't stop. The words just poured out of his mouth, his mind not thinking of what he was saying, throwing his own planned speech to the wind.

"Will. Hey. You're not the only one who needs to apologize here. Um, the outburst I had was a bit of an overreaction, you're my friend and you were only trying to help. But I pushed you away and I don't know how badly I wrecked our friendship up but hopefully not to the point of no return because I couldn't stand that. I just want us to be back to normal, I want you to not think that I'm not normal, um…" _Geez. That wasn't well worded at all. Gods, what was wrong with him?_ "It's just that… whenever people find out, they pity me and apologize and treat me like I'm broken but I'm _not_ and I was afraid I'd lose you to that too. So I'm sorry too."

He looked up at Will to see that, to his surprise, the cheerful grin Nico loved was back on his face, stretching from ear to ear. "What was that you just said?"

Nico tried to contain his smile, knowing he was already forgiven. "I'm sorry. Like, _really_ sorry."

"Wow, seems like there's a first for everything," Will snickered. Nico hit him on the shoulder.

"Ow! Okay, okay!" Will chuckled. His voice took on a more serious tone.

"Thanks, Nico." He smiled.

Tentatively, Nico smiled back.

And they were back to normal.

* * *

END CHAPTER THREE


	4. Chapter 4

"No way. _Seriously?_ " Will laughed. "You mean to tell me that your middle name isn't Darkness or Death Boy? No 'I'm Nico di Angelo and black is my middle name, just like my soul and wardrobe choices'?"

Nico shrugged and grinned. He'd been doing a lot more of that lately, Will was glad to note. The two boys sat in the lush green grass of Camp Half-Blood, bathed in the light of the dying sun.

"Mario. As in the video game character? You're Nico Mario di Angelo," Will said, disbelief coloring his tone.

"My sister's middle name was Maria," Nico laughed. "I think my mother hoped that by giving us at least close middle name, we'd grow up to be close too. Well, it worked. We were always together, playing and running around and generally making things difficult for our mom. She didn't mind, though. She always said we were her two little angels." His deep brown eyes grew wistful.

 _Nico really was an angel,_ Will thought. He almost said it aloud, but wasn't sure how Nico would take it. As time went on, Will's fondness for Nico had grown larger, until the skinny dark-clad boy with the slightly messy black fringe had taken up a permanent residence in the back of Will's mind.

"What about you?" Will had gotten lost in his thoughts, so Nico's voice startled him.

"Grayson." Will covered his face in his hands as Nico snorted. "I know, I know, just like the book. My mom really likes reading, okay?"

Nico cracked a smile and chuckled.

"Okay, that makes me feel a little better about mine."

"Oh, shut up!"

While they were laughing, the sun vanished behind the forest, and the twinkling stars came out. Will smiled, his vision from ages ago coming true. It was him and Nico and the stars. Except this time, Will noticed that Nico was even more beautiful than the view of the sparkling nighttime sky.

* * *

" _Being around you makes me happy and I just want you to be happy too."_ Will's words from a few days ago echoed around in Nico's head. _I make him happy._ The thought warmed Nico's heart and made him unable to stop smiling. _He cares about me_. But what was Nico going to do? He couldn't keep denying that he was fine being just friends with Will, because he wasn't. When they were together, it was all Nico could do to not stare at him. He craved Will's touch, and whenever they brushed hands his heart jumped a little. Eye contact for more than a few seconds made him blush and turn away. He kept imagining those soft-looking lips, and Nico couldn't help being distracted by the strong, muscular body that was next to him whenever they were near. He had to do something. It took all he could to act normally around Will, to pretend his heart didn't leap whenever the handsome archer was in his sight, to act like he didn't have a massive crush on his best friend. _Gods, what am I going to do?_

* * *

Hazel was with Frank, taking a romantic walk down by the beach of Camp Jupiter. The river was quietly rippling, doves were cooing in the trees, Frank was rubbing her shoulders to keep her from getting cold, and all was wonderful. She was about to whisper in his ear that perhaps they should find a more private area, when all of a sudden she heard a crash coming from behind them. She whipped around, reaching for her knife, peering into the evening light, when she heard Frank's confused voice. " _Nico_?" he gasped incredulously. Hazel dropped Frank's hand and raced over to where her half-brother was lying on the sand, coughing. "Hey… Hazel," he smiled faintly, before collapsing.

* * *

Nico woke up to Hazel standing above him with her arms crossed, a glare in her eyes. "You messed up my date with Frank, little brother, so this had better be good."

"Hey, don't call me that! And it's good to see you too, Hazel."

Giving up on her death stare, she smiled. "So what is it? I assume you didn't drop in just to see me."

"Ah, but I did!" Nico exclaimed. "I missed you. Plus, I had to make sure Frank's been treating you right. It's my duty as your brother," he said seriously.

Hazel rolled her eyes, waiting.

Nico sighed. "Okay, fine. I came to ask your advice on something new to me and… kinda big."

She gasped in delight. "Oh, Nico, what's his name? I'm so happy for you!"

"Um…" he blushed furiously. "Will. Will Solace. Remember the healer from the Apollo cabin? But I have no idea what his sexuality is and I think he thinks I'm straight and I don't know what to do… he's perfect and I'm not and I don't want things to end badly between us. I mean, sometimes I catch him staring at me when he thinks I'm not looking, but that could just be nothing. I have no clue what he even thinks of me!"

"Nico, tell me everything he's said to you since you two met. We'll figure out if he likes you back." His sister replied, a glint in her eyes.

A while later, Nico thanked and gave a farewell hug to Hazel, waved to Frank, and shadow traveled back to Camp Half-Blood with determination in his eyes.

* * *

END CHAPTER FOUR


	5. Chapter 5

As soon as Nico arrived outside the Apollo cabin, his confidence wavered. After hearing about their time together, Hazel had assured him that the chances were that Will liked Nico in more than just a platonic way. But now, he wasn't so sure he wanted to risk it. Hazel had asked, " _What could go wrong?_ " But a great many things could go wrong, and Nico's mind was running through all of possibilities. Will might say he viewed Nico as just a friend. He might be disgusted by Nico's feelings toward him. He might answer rudely. He might say he wouldn't want to remain friends. Nico was risking all of these scenarios on the off chance that Will might actually like him back. But he thought there were several problems with this. Nico had seen Will with a girl before, so that made it more likely that he was straight. And even if Will was into guys, _why Nico?_ Will was perfect. Nico was just the weird, friendless kid whose dad was the king of the Underworld. That alone would be enough to scare some people off. He imagined introducing him to Hades. _"Hey Dad! How's the Underworld? Any interesting deaths recently? Oh yeah, this is my boyfriend Will."_ And then Hades threatening him: _"Nice to meet you, Will! Prepare to rot in the Fields of Punishment if you ever hurt my son."_ Yeah, he could see that going well. Peering into the Apollo cabin's window, he saw a few campers, including Kayla, but Will was nowhere to be seen. _Perhaps it's for the best,_ he thought as he quickly turned around and trudged over to his own cabin.

* * *

Will was in the infirmary, sitting next to his newly awoken friend. The thirteen-year-old Austin had woken up from his coma late at night, and Will had come immediately upon Kayla calling him. Austin was still fairly weak, but some ambrosia and nectar were sure to help. He had assured Kayla that he would make sure Austin was fine, and sternly told her that she needed to go back to the cabin and get some sleep. Reluctantly she had departed, leaving Will and his cabin mate alone together.

"So what's up?" Austin smiled faintly. "Anything new since I've been out?"

"Not much," Will responded. "Since there's now only a couple days till school starts, all of the classes have been canceled. But then again, they've been unofficially canceled since the battle. The students just weren't showing up, and last week when Chiron tried to have words with us about it at dinner, some of the campers got together and dumped him in the lake as a protest!" Will chuckled in remembrance.

Austin laughed with him. "Wow. Wish I could've been there. How are you doing? Anything new in your life?"

Will's thoughts immediately flashed to Nico. He blushed, then reddened even more as he realized his face had given him away.

"William Solace, are you telling me you _like_ someone?" Austin was now grinning hugely.

As one of his few close friends who knew Will was pansexual, he felt no discomfort in disclosing the information regarding his new crush.

"di Angelo?" Austin's voice was incredulous. "Wow, okay. Do you know if he likes you back?"

"I'm not sure," Will admitted, frustrated.

"You know, I'm pretty sure he's gay," Austin informed him. "There was a rumor going around a while ago that Nico had a crush on Percy Jackson."

Will's heart jumped a bit. It was only a rumor, but that meant he might have a chance! "Okay, wow, um. Sorry Austin, I think I've gotta go!"

Austin's smile was back. "Good luck, Will. Let me know how it goes!"

In that moment, Will was very thankful for his friend. "I missed you. Try to get some rest, okay?"

And then he was off! Will hurried towards the Hades cabin before his newly instilled confidence could have the chance to wear off.

* * *

The Hades cabin was easy to recognize, as it was painted all in black, with a skull of what looked like a boar hanging above the door. There was a small porch with a fancy iron railing, and the windows were tinted dark, so Will couldn't tell if Nico was inside or not. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the metal knocker and softly banged it against the door three times. Will was even more nervous than he had been when he had come here previously to formally apologize to Nico for the comment on his scars. After a heartbeat or two, he heard Nico's bed creaking and a sleepy groan that brought a smile to his face, then the sound of a painful _thump_ that most likely meant that Nico had tripped over something. Or fallen off his bed. Or, knowing his friend's clumsiness, probably done both.

When Nico opened the door, Will noticed that he was sporting an angry red mark right below his elbow, which he was rubbing while wincing. His face lit up upon seeing Will standing by his doorway.

"Hey, Will!" he smiled. "I was looking for you earlier but you weren't in your cabin."

"Yeah, Austin woke up from his coma today, so I was busy in the infirmary with him." Will's heart was racing. _What should I say? Should I open up with my sexuality? Just straight-up ask him out? Gods. Why didn't I think of a plan beforehand?_

Nico grinned again. "Really? That's great! Must be a pretty big relief, huh?"

"Yeah, it really is." Will paused, trying to think of what to say next.

"So, uh, do you wanna come inside?" Nico offered, breaking the silence that had slightly awkward.

Gratefully Will jumped at the offer, and the two boys plopped down onto chairs as the cabin door swung shut.

* * *

Will looked appraisingly at the inside of Nico's cabin. The last time he'd been here, it wasn't to admire the décor, but now he was. There were ten bunk beds lining the walls. Nico had claimed the one opposite the door, and hadn't personalized it much, except for a string of old pictures hung up on the wall. Looking at Nico for permission first, which was granted by a tight nod, Will walked over and picked one up. It was of two children, one a girl who appeared to be around 12, with long, dark brown hair and cheerful brown eyes. The other was a young boy with scraggly black tufts of hair sticking up all over the place. They were hugging, with the younger boy beaming at the camera and the girl looking down and smiling fondly at him, and the picture tugged at Will's heart. He turned to Nico, an expression of incredulity on his face.

"Was this you?" Will asked.

Nico answered with a simple "yeah". Will looked at the girl again before the realization dawned.

"And Bianca?" Will had never met her, but he'd heard of her. The daughter of Hades, turned Hunter of Artemis, who had tragically died on a quest, leaving her ten-year-old brother all alone.

Nico closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. "Yeah." Of course it was still a very sore spot, and Will knew it was best to leave it alone.

Will returned to his chair and the two boys sat in silence for a few minutes. Will continued to look around. _It must be so lonely,_ he thought, _living in a cabin all alone. How does Nico stand it?_ He didn't say anything though, not wanting to break the comfortable silence they'd fallen into. It was relaxing just being in Nico's presence, and Will never wanted to leave.

* * *

After a while, Nico's rough voice penetrated the quiet. "I was born in the 1930's, you know," he said, almost casually, as if it was something normal that you heard every day. Will had known that Nico had spent some time in the Lotus Hotel when he was younger, but he'd never known the circumstances, or even imagined that it would have been for so long. This meant… _seventy years?!_ Will kept his mouth shut through his shock, not wanting to interrupt Nico for fear he might not continue. Will knew almost nothing of the mysterious di Angelo's past, and he was eager to hear about it and get to know him a bit better.

"Yeah, Venice, 1930's. I never really knew it though. Really, the only memory I have is of my neighbor. When he was thirteen, everyone gathered to watch him be burned at the stake. He was gay." Nico took a breath and met Will's eyes. Will couldn't figure out if Nico was trying to imply something, or if it was nothing. Maybe his hope that Nico was gay was causing him to imagine things. "Sometime after, we moved to Washington D.C., just me, my mom, and my sister." Will felt he could get lost in the murky hazel depths of the two beautifully brown eyes he found staring right at him, but he didn't look away. "Sorry, my past is a bit complicated, I know. It's not happy, though. Would you mind if I continued?" Nico took a deep breath. "I've been thinking, and it's something I'd really like to get off my chest."

Will nodded. "Yes, please, but only if you feel comfortable with it. As a doctor, I do that know talking about stuff generally does make it feel better."

Nico dipped his head in thanks and took a breath. "We were staying at a hotel in D.C. when Zeus killed my mom. He was aiming for me and Bianca, but Hades erected this impenetrable wall of black energy to protect the two of us, and was trying to get to our mother when Zeus's lightning bolt struck. I was eight, and Bianca ten."

Will closed his eyes. He couldn't even imagine what that must have been like. "Nico, I don't know what to say… I'm so sorry."

"Yeah," Nico said gruffly, leaning his head back. "It's not been a happy life for me." His long, pale fingers traced patterns on his forearm, subconsciously brushing over the self-harm scars Will knew lay there.

Nico laughed uncomfortably. "Well, I've started talking, and now I can't stop. I don't know if I want to stop. But while I'm at it, why not say something else too?" He paused, and his gaze grew distant as if he was contemplating telling Will something, or thinking of what to say. Nico brushed his fringe out of his eyes, straightened his back, took a breath, and looked Will squarely in the eyes.

"I'm gay." Nico's gaze didn't drop, his eyes intently studying Will's face to try and glean his reaction.

After a split second, his words sunk in, and a broad grin appeared on Will's face. He couldn't control it, his inner joy was too strong to be contained. "Hi, gay. I'm Will!"

Nico covered his face with his hands. "A _dad joke_? Seriously? That's how you respond to me coming out – something I've only done to a few people in my life?" Will could tell he was smiling through his hands, though, and Will was too.

 _Okay, I know he's gay. That means it's possible he returns my feelings… but he might not. He might just consider me a friend, and nothing more than that. Does he like me?_ Does he like me _?_

The smile disappeared as Nico began talking again. "Growing up in the thirties, watching other gay people be shunned and killed –people like me— it made me hate myself for what I was. I tried to wish it away, I tried to look at girls instead and to bury away the part of me that was gay." Nico shuddered as if remembering something unpleasant. "It took me so long to come out and accept myself, and Bianca was such a big part of that. It's been hard without her," he admitted.

Before he knew it, Will was out of his chair and standing before Nico, who uncovered his face to find Will's face inches from his, and suddenly they were kissing. Nico stood and cupped his hands around Will's neck to bring him closer while Will tangled his fingers in Nico's hair as their lips pressed against each other's, warm and soft and gentle. Nico was kissing Will back just as desperately as Will was kissing Nico, and when they finally drew apart, gasping for air, they leaned their foreheads against each other and Will rested his arms over the shorter boy's shoulders.

 _Well, that answers that._

END CHAPTER FIVE


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